The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-01-05
MUCH INFORMATION
Relative to the Progress Of the Various Grain
Producing Countries Of the World;
Also Upon the Subject of Railroad Freights
I'm the United States and Other COun-
tries-LOng and Short Haul.


Transportation Routes TO the Sea-
board, authorizes the publication of the
report of that committee upon the subject |
of railroad freights in the United States and |
other countries. The complete report makes
500 pages of printed matter and contains
many valuable tables and much information
on the subject of transportation, gathered
from nearly every country in the world.
The first table presented indicates the
progress of the United States for a gener-
alton. Thirty-three years ago we produced
100000 600 bushels of wheat and about 600,-
100000 bushels of corn. Twice in recent
years we have reached 100000 600 bushels of
wheat, and in 1885 the corn crop reached
1,600 600, 900 bushels, a five-fold increase in
wheat and a three-fold increase in corn.
The increase in other cereals has not been so
rapid nor are they regarded by the commit
tee ss so important as the increase in wheat
and corn. In the
EXPORT TRADE,
The committee says wheat has already
ranked first in value, and in ffty-eight
years has added s., GOO, 600 600 to the value of
our national production, sum equivalent
to four times the value of exported corn and
corn meal during the same period. The re-
port shows the countries to which every
bushel of this grain has been exported, and
| the percentage of exports each year from
| 1850 to 1888. It also shows the movement of
| grain within the United States, and points
| Oul hudt ndNC idhCn pld~C III ttlC
grain centers of the country since the close
| of the war. The average annual receipts of
| grain in Portland, Me-, New Orleans, De-
troit, Cleveland and PIttsburg have remained
stationary through the two periods between
| 1866 and 1878 and between 1874 and 1883.
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, San Fran
cisco, Toledo Erie, st. Louis and
| Peoria have, speaking roundly, doubled
| their average receipts during the
latter period. Baltimore, Louisville,
| and Duluth have increased nearly three-fold;
while the average annual receipts at Kansas
City have increased nine-fold. A marked
increase is noticeable in Milwaukee and Buff
falo; bat there has been decided decrease
on the receipts of OswegO and Ogdensburg.
The Atlantic ports not only consume vast
quantities of this grain, but the bulk of the
| product is shipped abroad therefrom. 1t is
shown by the tables that during the ten
years ending with 1888 the average annual
receipts Of cereals of all kinds at these ports
have been in round figures 260, 200 bush
| els.
Efforts were made by the committee to
group together the average yearly prices of
grain at the various grain centers of the
United States for series OF years and to
show the difference in prices per bushel at
various points between these geographical
sections, which would represent in meas
ure tie freight and the tendency of the rates
| of freight charges. IL is shown, for exam pie,
that the difference in the prices of corn be
tween the Atlantic ports and the lake ports
have steadily declined from 81 cents per
bushel in 1873 TO 10 cents per bushel in 1888;
between the Atlantic ports and the Western
river ports from 10 cents in 1878 to II cents
in 1888.
An attempt was made by the committee
to ascertain the rates of freight from the
principal intermediate points to the sea
board and also from the intermediate points
to the principal cities OF various States
This investigation was conducted in hopes
of ascertaining facts in regard to the differ
ence Of rates charged for long hauls and
snort hauls and to throw light upon the
Yexed questions of
LONG AND a SHORT HAUL.
In relation to this INQUIRY the committee
says: 'If the returns from which the above
summary is constructed may be relied on {and
the committee has been careful in selecting
only returns that appeared upon their face
correct) the rates charged for local freight
are evidently levied on the general principle
of what the traffic will bear. In Massachu-
setts, when terminals are taken into consid-
Grafton, the cost of transporting a Oushel of
wheat is more nearly equitable than in the
States represented in the summary. Still,
we find the anomaly of the lesser rate for
six miles than for fifteen miles, In Penn
sylvania local rates are higher than in
Massachusetts. In Ohio the rate is about
the same on sixty miles as it is on ninety,
while the long haul of 216 miles, instead Of
being relatively less, is relatively greater.
In Massachusetts, in 1888 1t cost 4 6 cents to
transport bushel of wheat sixty-four miles.
The cost in Connecticut for transporting the
same quantity of grain sixty-two miles was
cents; in Pennsylvania sixty miles 2
cents, and in Ohio sixty miles cents. OF
course the conditions may not have been
the same. Farther West, we find Kansas
paying 40 cents per bushel for transporting
busbel OF wheat forty miles, and Massa-
chusetts, for the same service, $50 miles 2.2
cents, while California pays 5.3 per bushel
for fifty miles"
On the subject of local freights the COM
mittee says: 'In Massachusetts the rates
have steadily declined since 1874 on every
road included in the State. The same is
true of Connecticut. The Ohio report is
exceedingly valuable, showing a decline
from 2 446 cents per ton per mile in 1868 to
.S75 of a cent in 1888. In Michigan the av-
erage rate per ton per mile in 1874 was 1.37
cents, and in 1882 it had declined to LO9
cents per ton per mile On the principal
cradle decrease since 1873. This is shown in
Detail in the appendix, but no summary is
eotalnable. In Wisconsin, Missouri, Min
nesota, Nebraska and California the same
general facts are brought out.
CEREALS IN EUROPE.
Turning from the United States to foreign
countries, the committee shows the pro-
duotion and consumption of cereals in
I Europe and brings out the fact that the in
crease in population has been relatively
much greater in the great grain-pfoducing
| countries than il has been in the grsin-buy-
| ing countries. The United Kingdom APP
pears to have purchased about two-thirds OF
all the wheat the United States exported
| during the period and therefore special at
tention hes been given tc England's supply
of wheat. For this purpose table was pre-
| pared giving a summary of the wheat i'm
| ported into the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland from various countries
during the period (seyeH years. from 1886 to
4 1912, inclusive, and the decade from 1S43 to
1882 inclusive, showing the total importa-
tIons of wheat and the proportions furnished
1 by the United States, Russia. Germany,
| British North America, Egypt, France, Dem
mark and all other countries.
In commenting on this table, the COM
mittee says: "a glance al this summary not
only shows the rapidity of the agricultural
| growth of the United States and its import
ance as a foed-exporting country, but it also
presents some of the economic changes that
have taken place in Europe. In the frst